Anyone own a Iron Horse Sentry 12 shotgun?
- Thread starter GARY56
- Start date
I got to play with one that belonged to a buddy and I gotta say I was impressed for what it is. Easy takedown, not many parts inside to worry about and US made. They do take a few rounds to get broken in, but after that it ran 100%. I only ran the 5rd mags and didn't have any problems with them leaving the gun. We even shot some clays with it for fun and it worked pretty well. For it's intended purpose, I think it's a fine piece of kit.
Everything we shot was 2 3/4, but were wearing ears for all of it. As for the blast. it's not that much different than a 14" or 18" gun as it uses a somewhat blast diffuser kinda like a Noveske Pig so a lot of the blast is directed forward.
29.5 inches
How about finding any extra mags?? I called foc and they can't get any extra mags and literally no else in Canada carries them in stock .... kinds defeats the purpose of buying one if you can only get the 2- 5 round mags that it comes with 
most people want atleast 5 mags....
most people want atleast 5 mags....
How about finding any extra mags?? I called foc and they can't get any extra mags and literally no else in Canada carries them in stock .... kinds defeats the purpose of buying one if you can only get the 2- 5 round mags that it comes with
Agreed. No matter how good the gun is, it is a 6 lb paperweight without spare magazines. I cannot recommend this as a purchase until more magazines appear for sale...
I had the opportunity to handle and dry-fire a friend's recently acquired Iron Horse Sentry 12 last week. I was quite impressed with the shotgun's simplicity, modularity, ease of field-stripping for maintenance, and so forth. It seems to be a very well-designed and manufactured firearm. That handling session is what got me looking for a package deal with extra magazines, which I was fortunate enough to find almost immediately.
So, after recommending against purchasing a Sentry 12 Shotgun due to the lack of additional magazines, I ended up basically going against my own advice. I stumbled across a like-new example on Gun Post complete with 2 x 5-round Magazines and 2 x 8-round Mags. That is just enough Magazine capacity that I could justify the purchase. Had it just been just the 2 factory 5-round Mags that the Sentry 12 comes with, I would have still said no to striking a deal. The extra 8-round mags pushed me over the edge however, making that particular package a "reasonable buy". I reckoned the chances of finding another, similar package with spare Magazines would be slim in the future, so I jumped on the "bird in the hand", so to speak. Pics to follow when it arrives this coming week....
So, after recommending against purchasing a Sentry 12 Shotgun due to the lack of additional magazines, I ended up basically going against my own advice. I stumbled across a like-new example on Gun Post complete with 2 x 5-round Magazines and 2 x 8-round Mags. That is just enough Magazine capacity that I could justify the purchase. Had it just been just the 2 factory 5-round Mags that the Sentry 12 comes with, I would have still said no to striking a deal. The extra 8-round mags pushed me over the edge however, making that particular package a "reasonable buy". I reckoned the chances of finding another, similar package with spare Magazines would be slim in the future, so I jumped on the "bird in the hand", so to speak. Pics to follow when it arrives this coming week....
So my Iron Horse "Sentry 12" mag-fed, pump-action, tactical shotgun arrived today. I detail stripped it for inspection and cleaning, and am suitably impressed with the terrific simplicity of the purpose-built design. Remove a single pin and the Polymer Lower Receiver pops off, followed by the Pump with attached Bolt. Unscrew the Barrel Nut/Linear Compensator and the Barrel falls out of the Upper Receiver. It honestly could not be any more simple in terms of the design and the way that the parts fit easily together yet function in a very precise, crisp and slick manner.
The pump action "throw" is quite short and the action itself is very slick. The feeling is one of precision as the parts move back and forth in unison with a very positive lockup when the action is cocked for firing. The trigger is excellent, with a crisp let-off and a fairly short tactile/audible reset. The controls are fully ambidextrous, well-positioned and easily reached. They consist of the Safely Lever, the Magazine Release and the Bolt Unlocking Lever.
The magazines do not fall free when the Magazine Release is pressed. Rather, they must be deliberately ripped out of the receiver, thus encouraging their retention for resuse. The Magazines themselves load easily to their advertised capacities of 5 or 8 rounds, with room left over for easy insertion with the shotgun's Bolt forward in battery. The Magazines feature steel feed lips at the rear where the shells are retained.
All things considered, I am quite impressed with the Sentry 12 based on my detailed tear-down, inspection and dry-fire handling drills. The purpose-built pump-action is short, precise and rattle/play-free. The 12" Length of Pull (LOP) is an excellent compromise, allowing the gun to be comfortably wielded in the modern, "squared-to-target" firing stance. There is nothing that I can find fault with at this early point in my ownership. To the contrary, I am very impressed with the Sentry 12's simple, modular design. Iron Horse Firearms hit it out of the park with the Sentry 12, so it is a real shame that they shut their doors a year or so ago. I am not worried about spare parts, as the components of the Sentry 12 appear to be quite robust and long-lasting.
Access to spare magazines remains the single biggest barrier to Canadian ownership of the Sentry 12. While there are numerous brand new examples for sale at most major Canadian vendors, there is only one source remaining for spare magazines in all of North America, and that is an ebay vendor who will not ship outside of the USA for ITAR reasons. Each to their own, however it means that unless you know an American willing to purchase magazines on ebay then ship them up to you, there is no ready source for spare magazines. It would appear that all remaining stock rests with that single US ebay seller. More's the pity.... The Sentry 12 seems to be a terrific tactical shotgun, however without spare magazines the gun is limited to the 2x 5-round magazines that it ships with, which may limit its application. I was fortunate to find an "as new" example for sale on GP for below retail complete with 2 x 5-round and 2 x 8-round Magazines. YMMV.....
I will report back when I get a chance to live-fire the Sentry 12. I don't anticipate any surprises based on the Youtube videos that I have viewed. It should be smooth sailing in terms of loading, making ready, firing and reloading. More to follow when we get a warm winter's day!
The pump action "throw" is quite short and the action itself is very slick. The feeling is one of precision as the parts move back and forth in unison with a very positive lockup when the action is cocked for firing. The trigger is excellent, with a crisp let-off and a fairly short tactile/audible reset. The controls are fully ambidextrous, well-positioned and easily reached. They consist of the Safely Lever, the Magazine Release and the Bolt Unlocking Lever.
The magazines do not fall free when the Magazine Release is pressed. Rather, they must be deliberately ripped out of the receiver, thus encouraging their retention for resuse. The Magazines themselves load easily to their advertised capacities of 5 or 8 rounds, with room left over for easy insertion with the shotgun's Bolt forward in battery. The Magazines feature steel feed lips at the rear where the shells are retained.
All things considered, I am quite impressed with the Sentry 12 based on my detailed tear-down, inspection and dry-fire handling drills. The purpose-built pump-action is short, precise and rattle/play-free. The 12" Length of Pull (LOP) is an excellent compromise, allowing the gun to be comfortably wielded in the modern, "squared-to-target" firing stance. There is nothing that I can find fault with at this early point in my ownership. To the contrary, I am very impressed with the Sentry 12's simple, modular design. Iron Horse Firearms hit it out of the park with the Sentry 12, so it is a real shame that they shut their doors a year or so ago. I am not worried about spare parts, as the components of the Sentry 12 appear to be quite robust and long-lasting.
Access to spare magazines remains the single biggest barrier to Canadian ownership of the Sentry 12. While there are numerous brand new examples for sale at most major Canadian vendors, there is only one source remaining for spare magazines in all of North America, and that is an ebay vendor who will not ship outside of the USA for ITAR reasons. Each to their own, however it means that unless you know an American willing to purchase magazines on ebay then ship them up to you, there is no ready source for spare magazines. It would appear that all remaining stock rests with that single US ebay seller. More's the pity.... The Sentry 12 seems to be a terrific tactical shotgun, however without spare magazines the gun is limited to the 2x 5-round magazines that it ships with, which may limit its application. I was fortunate to find an "as new" example for sale on GP for below retail complete with 2 x 5-round and 2 x 8-round Magazines. YMMV.....
I will report back when I get a chance to live-fire the Sentry 12. I don't anticipate any surprises based on the Youtube videos that I have viewed. It should be smooth sailing in terms of loading, making ready, firing and reloading. More to follow when we get a warm winter's day!
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Greenhorse six
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I don't know anything about it, but , would the mags be something that could be made with a 3D printer?
I am not sure that the 3D-printed feed Lips would hold up to the spring tension and the pump action's wear and tear. 3D printed polymer typically lacks the structural strength of injection-moulding, let alone the steel Feed Lip "Clip" that the Sentry 12 Magazines use.....
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